Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

To want to report bakery for not covering cakes

87 replies

Professionallytorn · 19/04/2021 23:34

Walking past my favourite patisserie after closing time I noticed they had left several different ranges of cakes on the counter uncovered overnight. I messaged them to query this and the reply was it was a mistake, they do normally. I have since seen them leave cakes uncovered after closing. I think this contravenes food standards? AIBU to want to report them to food hygiene standards? I am also upset that I can't bring myself to shop there again for my favourite treats too. Am I wrong to be bothered about this ?

OP posts:

DeedledeDee · 20/04/2021 03:17

Oh and Lidl still has pizza slices, croissants and doughnuts all loose on display, so they must be breaking the law too

FortunesFave · 20/04/2021 04:15

YANBU it's gross. I once went into a chippy and asked for chips...the man LICKED HIS FINGERS to pick up the paper to place them in!

I pointed out that this was disgusting and he was completely perplexed...obviously I left chipless.

HoppingPavlova · 20/04/2021 04:21

Rats could easily be eating those cakes overnight.

I would think this would be pretty obvious to staff and customers the next morning. It’s not like rats smooth the icing back over eaten bits or anything.

florababy84 · 20/04/2021 04:27

I would think this would be pretty obvious to staff and customers the next morning. It’s not like rats smooth the icing back over eaten bits or anything.

Sounds like someone needs to watch a little documentary called Ratatouille.

You are right, that it would be obvious. But I think that's the point, it's a situation waiting to happen - rodents may be attracted to the uncovered food.

FakingMemories · 20/04/2021 05:19

Crumbs! It’s another “should I report...?” thread. Report if it makes you feel better about yourself and if you have nothing else going on in your life.

garlictwist · 20/04/2021 05:23

I never buy those uncovered rolls in supermarkets - people handle them and put them back, drop them etc. It's just grim.

stackemhigh · 20/04/2021 06:01

YANBU, apart from food safety, won’t the cakes go stale? Stupid bakers.

Diverseopinions · 20/04/2021 06:03

I don't get posters saying this wouldn't happen, and I understand OP's desire to go to her favourite bakery because the artisan ones are very much more delicious ( and coffee more special) and wholesome than some of the more mainstream chains.

The bakery I like to use has uncovered fare also. They have posh ham and salad rolls on top of the counter which are only half wrapped in greased paper. The move against cling film and excess packaging has led to more minimal wrapping and it doesn't seem hygienic, especially as the counter isn't chilled.

I have wondered if the cakes are left out overnight. I wonder how they would be covered, because presumably insects could crawl under a cloth.

Many less artisans bakers close at 4pm because they just sell out of everything by then. When you bake more expensive and delectable sponge cakes and scones, etc., you probably don't sell them all by the afternoon because they are a dear delicacy and because the customers willing to pay £3.50 for a little violet and pistachio iced fancy probably don't eat the sugar-laden treats as frequently as they grab the sourdough because they are on super-healthy diets and avoiding rich sugary, processed things.

Temp023 · 20/04/2021 06:07

God, I wish I had the emotional energy to worry about this sort of thing!

UnprecedentedPoster · 20/04/2021 06:17

This is nothing to do with your situation, but I learnt recently that those big meat kebab things (that look like a human leg on a vertical spit) are just switched off and left uncovered over night .

Walked past a local chip shop and saw the massive lump of meat just sitting there, presumably waiting to be switched on the next day, heated up and carved.

I wasn't a kebab eater before, but that would be enough to put me off if I were.

Anyway, back to the uncovered cake chat

rwalker · 20/04/2021 06:25

Cakes don't need refrigarating at worse they would dry out but wouldn't be a problem.
So unless it's on a plate with a raw chicken couldn't care less

lazyarse123 · 20/04/2021 06:33

@FortunesFave

YANBU it's gross. I once went into a chippy and asked for chips...the man LICKED HIS FINGERS to pick up the paper to place them in!

I pointed out that this was disgusting and he was completely perplexed...obviously I left chipless.

I had this in Morrisons with cooked meat. The lady licked her fingers and then wiped the paper/plastic sheet on the pinny she had presumably been wearing all day. I didn't buy it but told her and manager how gross it was. Uncovered cakes in a bakery wouldn't bother me as they are uncovered during the day.

beginningoftheend · 20/04/2021 06:34

I wouldn't report them, I would stop shopping there if unhappy with their standards. The risk for the business is you tell other potential customers.

However - reporting to food hygiene isn't a big risk for businesses as they would just issue advice if they did anything at all.

honeybuns007 · 20/04/2021 06:38

@MrsTophamHat

Yes, I think after the year everyone has just had, reporting small businesses for things rather than just choosing not to shop there any more is a lovely gesture

Or, after the year we have just had, perhaps food outlets should be extra vigilant on their food hygiene and storage standards. Just a thought.

honeybuns007 · 20/04/2021 06:43

@UnprecedentedPoster

This is nothing to do with your situation, but I learnt recently that those big meat kebab things (that look like a human leg on a vertical spit) are just switched off and left uncovered over night

Walked past a local chip shop and saw the massive lump of meat just sitting there, presumably waiting to be switched on the next day, heated up and carved.

I wasn't a kebab eater before, but that would be enough to put me off if I were.

Anyway, back to the uncovered cake chat

They aren't supposed to. They are supposed to buy the size that is appropriate for their business and discard what is left at the end of the day. If they do reheat, there are strict rules..

(From a Government site) It is preferable to throw away any unused doner. In order to minimize waste; the size of the kebab should be kept to a minimum. It is better to use a number of small kebabs throughout the day rather than one large one.
If you do intend to reuse a whole doner the following day, do not leave it on the spit overnight. Cool and refrigerate the doner overnight at below 8°c. When re-heating part used doners, turn the heat on full and ensure when slicing that the cooked meat is piping hot all the way through.

fairlyurgentdresshelpneeded · 20/04/2021 06:43

I wish people understood that gloves are far, far less hygienic than bare hands washed regularly. Gloves should only be worn if someone has a skin condition or cut that's not covered. Even then they should only be worn for 5-10 mins max. That would be a lot of waste to deal with!!

EssentialHummus · 20/04/2021 06:51

Oh and Lidl still has pizza slices, croissants and doughnuts all loose on display, so they must be breaking the law too

As does Sainsbury's.

I'm not a fan of cakes left uncovered on the counter - the cafe in the park near me keeps theirs uncovered, within customer reach and at child height, which is obviously ideal for hygiene - but surely they'd be dry the next morning?

SylHellais · 20/04/2021 06:55

I would report it to 101 as well, just to be sure.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 20/04/2021 06:57

What even is that kebab meat? I’ve never been to a kebab place in daylight hours or sober so I hadn’t questioned it before.

CovidCorvid · 20/04/2021 06:57

@DeedledeDee

Oh and Lidl still has pizza slices, croissants and doughnuts all loose on display, so they must be breaking the law too

I was just going to say you best report Lidl as well. My local one generally has big blue bottles crawling over the croissants as well!

SchadenfreudePersonified · 20/04/2021 07:02

@Cocorico22

You are right to be concerned, they might get darked on, or because of spider willies 🕸

This would be my great concern.

I have a suspicion hat things go on in ALL food establishments, from Harrod's and the poshest of restaurants, to Joe's Caff and mobile burger vans, that would curl the enamel on our teeth, never mind our hair, if we knew about them.

Food hygiene is better now than it has been throughout history, but will never be perfect because it relies on human beings to implement it, and some of us are lazy *rses. Others are just busy and distracted.

Mention it to management - if nothing changes, vote with your feet.

Bluntness100 · 20/04/2021 07:05

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable op. Have you given some deep consideration to other things you could report?

You need to buy a yellow safety jacket and a clip board. We need you. Crack on. 😃

To want to report bakery for not covering cakes

SchadenfreudePersonified · 20/04/2021 07:05

@HoppingPavlova

Rats could easily be eating those cakes overnight.

I would think this would be pretty obvious to staff and customers the next morning. It’s not like rats smooth the icing back over eaten bits or anything.

*Quick Roland - move them round to fill that gap so they don't know we've taken one"

Happymum12345 · 20/04/2021 07:14

The bakery said it was a mistake - we all make mistakes.

CuntyMcBollocks · 20/04/2021 07:18

You should have rang the police the instant you saw it so they could send a battalion of police straight to the scene of the crime!!

Flip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread